AuthorTopic: On Air Live At The BBC Vol.2 (Read 15943 times)

Ten of On Air’s songs were never recorded by the group for EMI in the 1960s, including two making their debuts with the new release: The Beatles’ direct-to-air performance of Chuck Berry’s “I’m Talking About You” and a rocking cover of the standard “Beautiful Dreamer.” On Air also includes different versions of six rarities heard on the 1994 BBC collection: Little Richard’s “Lucille,” Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” Chan Romero’s “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman,” and two songs they learned from records by Carl Perkins, “Glad All Over” and “Sure To Fall.”

The Beatles’ tribute to the BBC’s most important pop show of the early ’60s – “Happy Birthday, Dear Saturday Club” – is another surprise. As John Lennon recalled in 1980, “We did a lot of tracks that were never on record for Saturday Club – they were well recorded, too.” Paul remembers, “We’d been raised on the BBC radio programs. One of the big things in our week was Saturday Club – this great show was playing the kind of music we loved, so that was something we really aspired to.”

Between March 1962 and June 1965, no fewer than 275 unique musical performances by The Beatles were broadcast by the BBC in the U.K. The group played songs on 39 radio shows in 1963 alone. Ringo Starr said in 1994, “You tend to forget that we were a working band. It’s that mono sound. There were usually no overdubs. We were in at the count-in and that was it. I get excited listening to them.” On their busiest BBC day, July 16, 1963, The Beatles recorded 18 songs for three editions of their Pop Go The Beatles series in fewer than seven hours.

The group played 88 distinct songs in their BBC sessions – some were recorded many times; others performed just once. At the time, three national BBC stations provided all daytime radio broadcasting in the U.K. Only the Light Programme network might occasionally play a record. Most broadcast music was live music. Consequently, to promote their releases, The Beatles had to play live at the BBC. “Everything was done instantly,” remembered George Harrison, “But before that, we used to drive 200 miles in an old van down the M1, come into London, try and find the BBC and then set up and do the program. Then we’d probably drive back to Newcastle for a gig in the evening!”

On Air also features BBC recordings of 30 well-loved songs from The Beatles’ catalogue, including five number on¬es and other favorites such as: “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Twist And Shout,” “Do You Want To Know A Secret,” “Boys,” “Please Mister Postman,” “Money,” “And I Love Her,” and “If I Fell.”

Like its critically acclaimed predecessor, On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 includes audio of The Beatles talking to DJs Brian Matthew and Alan Freeman and Pop Go The Beatles hosts Lee Peters and Rodney Burke. When first broadcast, pop fans were amazed to hear such witty irreverence on the rather formal BBC and it is great fun to hear these extracts now. In addition, On Air releases, for the first time, the group’s candid interviews for the Pop Profile series recorded in November 1965 and May 1966.

Newly remastered for reissue on November 11, The Beatles’ first Live at the BBC album sounds and looks better than ever. This collection of the group’s BBC sessions mixed versions of their hits with a treasure trove of 30 songs The Beatles performed on air but never released on record in the 1960s. The compelling track list ranged from a rare performance of the little known Lennon-McCartney original “I’ll Be On My Way” to covers of classic rock ’n’ roll and contemporary rhythm and blues songs. At the time of its release, Live at the BBC was hailed by Rolling Stone as “an exhilarating portrait of a band in the process of shaping its own voice and vision.” It earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination for Best Historical Album.

Live at the BBC was assembled by George Martin in 1994 and On Air - Live at the BBC Volume Two was compiled and researched by producers Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley. Both albums have been meticulously mastered by engineers Guy Massey and Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. The booklets for both collections include Kevin Howlett’s essays on the history of The Beatles’ BBC radio sessions and his detailed commentaries on all of the tracks.

And Here We Are Again Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 23 July 1963 Rec: 24 May 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Terry Henebery During the summer of 1963, fifteen editions of Pop Go The Beatles were broadcast on Tuesday evenings at five o’ clock. Rodney Burke presented the series from July to September. Having gained experience as an actor in Canada for two years, he auditioned for the BBC in July 1957. Credited as Rodney Bunker, he was seen in the TV series Hawkeye And The Last Of The Mohicans. Words Of Love (Holly) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 20 August 1963 Rec: 16 July 1963 BBC Paris Theatre, London Producer: Terry Henebery ‘Words Of Love’ was released in the UK on an album called Buddy Holly in July 1958. This BBC recording was broadcast fifteen months before the song’s inclusion on Beatles For Sale. John and Paul sang the two-part harmony which, through primitive but effective overdubbing, Buddy had sung with himself. How About It, Gorgeous? Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 30 July 1963 Rec: 10 July 19633 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London 3 Producer: Terry Henebery3 The Pop Go The Beatles format included The Beatles reading some of the many letters sent to the BBC. George reads one referring to The Flowerpot Men. This was a puppet show for children broadcast from 1952 on the BBC’s television service. The lead characters, whose bodies were formed from flowerpots, were Bill and Ben. Many generations of British children have deciphered the ‘flobalobalob’ sounds of the Flowerpot Men. After adventures in the garden, Bill and Ben returned to slumber inside flowerpots on either side of their friend and protector Little Weed. Do You Want To Know A Secret (Lennon-McCartney) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 30 July 1963 Rec: 10 July 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Terry Henebery This is the last of six radio performances of a song from The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me. At the time of the broadcast, ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was at the top of the British EP chart as one of the four tracks on Twist And Shout. A version recorded by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas reached number one in several British music papers’ charts in June. In America, as the A-side of a Beatles single on the Vee-Jay label, ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ peaked at number two behind Louis Armstrong’s ‘Hello, Dolly’ in May 1964. Lucille (Collins-Penniman) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 17 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant Little Richard’s rocker made the UK Top Ten during the summer of 1957. This is the first recording The Beatles made for the BBC. Their other broadcast version of ‘Lucille’, taped four days later for Saturday Club, was included in the first volume of Live At The BBC. Hey, Paul... Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery For the initial four-week run of Pop Go The Beatles, the presenter was Lee Peters (or ‘Pee Litres’, as The Beatles liked to call him). His was a familiar voice on the network. He played the character of David Owen in the daily soap opera The Dales, first broadcast in January 1948 as Mrs Dale’s Diary. Here, he encourages Paul to talk about his birthday party in a session recorded the day before it was due to happen. ‘Harry and His Box’ was an enigmatic topic raised during several Beatles radio appearances in 1963. Anna (Go To Him) (Alexander) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 27 August 1963 Rec: 1 August 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, Manchester Producer: Ian Grant Written and recorded by country-soul singer Arthur Alexander, ‘Anna’ was an American Top Ten R&B hit at the end of 1962. Following the single’s UK release in December 1962, The Beatles taped the song a couple of months later at Abbey Road for their debut album Please Please Me. Hello! Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery For Pop Go The Beatles, Lee Peters acted the role of a posh BBC straight man apparently struggling to keep order amongst the send-ups and antics of the cheeky Liverpudlians. Please Please Me (Lennon-McCartney) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 13 August 1963 Rec: 16 July 1963 BBC Paris Theatre, London Producer: Ian Grant This is the eleventh of twelve BBC radio performances of their first UK number one (on most charts, including that used by the BBC). None of the broadcast versions has John playing harmonica as heard on the Parlophone single. Misery (Lennon-McCartney) Here We Go Trans: 12 March 1963 Rec: 6 March 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, Manchester Producer: Peter Pilbeam The Beatles recorded this song from their debut album seven times at the BBC. All of the broadcast performances lack the descending piano runs overdubbed by George Martin onto the version made at EMI for Please Please Me. I’m Talking About You (Berry) Saturday Club Trans: 16 March 1963 Live Studio 3A, Broadcasting House, London Producers: Jimmy Grant and Bernie Andrews Chess Records released Chuck Berry’s song in February 1961. It arrived on a single in the UK seven months later and was then featured on the LP Juke Box Hits in June 1962. This BBC version was performed live from the Saturday Club on-air studio. Their songs for the show could not be pre-recorded as usual, because a heavy cold had made it impossible for John to sing. A Real Treat Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery Although he always mispronounced Ringo’s name as ‘Ring-oh’, The Beatles responded well to the corny links of Lee Peters. Paul is heard pointing out that the request was for pupils at the sister school to the establishment he attended - the Liverpool Institute. Boys (Dixon-Farrell) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery The Shirelles’ original was the flip-side of the biggest of their three British hits - ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’. The single topped the American charts - one of 22 pop hits scored by The Shirelles in the States. This Pop Go The Beatles recording was released in 1995 on an EP of four BBC performances called Baby It’s You. Absolutely Fab Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery When the fourth show of the Pop Go The Beatles series was broadcast, the BBC’s weekly magazine Radio Times reported that ‘two days after the first broadcast, the producer Terry Henebery received over one hundred cards from listeners all over the country expressing their delight that this remarkable group now have their own programme’. The production team were swamped with many more letters as the weeks went by. Here ‘Gorgeous George’ steps up to the microphone to read one. Chains (Goffin-King) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery The original by The Cookies - female backing singers on many other Gerry Goffin and Carole King hits on the Dimension label - was in the US Top 40 when The Beatles first tried ‘Chains’ in a BBC studio in January 1963. George had bought The Cookies’ single at NEMS, the Liverpool record store run by the group’s manager Brian Epstein. This is The Beatles’ third BBC performance of a song included on their LP Please Please Me. Ask Me Why (Lennon-McCartney) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 24 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant ‘Ask Me Why’ became the first ever Lennon-McCartney song to be broadcast when it was featured during Here We Go in June 1962. The Beatles recorded the B-side of ‘Please Please Me’ four times for BBC radio; this is their final performance. Till There Was You (Willson) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 30 July 1963 Rec: 10 July 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Terry Henebery Paul was inspired to sing this highlight from The Music Man by Peggy Lee’s UK Top Thirty hit from April 1961. Meredith Willson’s Broadway show had a long run on stage from 1957 and was then adapted for a movie version released in 1962. Having been part of the group’s stage act for two years, ‘Till There Was You’ was released on With The Beatles in November 1963. A later recording made for the radio show From Us To You was included on the first volume of Live At The BBC. Lend Me Your Comb (Twomey-Wise-Weisman) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 16 July 1963 Rec: 2 July 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery ‘Lend Me Your Comb’ was on the fourth Carl Perkins single released in the UK in April 1958. It was a staple of The Beatles’ act for several years before they made their BBC recording. John and Paul replicate the harmony singing of Carl and his brother Jay heard on the original. This track was first released in 1995 on The Beatles’ Anthology 1. Lower 5E Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 10 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant Paul and George attended the Liverpool Institute grammar school for boys. A request from pupils in the current fifth form triggered their memories of teachers and their nicknames. The Hippy Hippy Shake (Romero) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 10 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant Although not a hit, ‘The Hippy Hippy Shake’ by Chan Romero became popular in Liverpool when DJ Bob Wooler played it at The Cavern Club. He recalled lending his copy of the UK Columbia single to Paul so the group could learn it. When The Beatles appeared on the BBC TV programme Juke Box Jury in December 1963, they reviewed ‘The Hippy Shake’ by their Mersey mates The Swinging Blue Jeans. Their unanimous judgement that it would be a hit proved to be true, both in the UK and America. Chan Romero had recorded his song in 1959 at Gold Star studio in Los Angeles with the same musicians who played on ‘La Bamba’ by his hero Ritchie Valens. Roll Over Beethoven (Berry) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 3 September 1963 Rec: 1 August 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, Manchester Producer: Ian Grant Following three BBC broadcasts of Chuck Berry’s song during the summer of 1963, the group made it the side two opener of With The Beatles released in November. The EMI version was made at Abbey Road two days before this performance. The 1994 collection of the group’s radio performances includes their last BBC recording of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ made in 1964. There’s A Place (Lennon-McCartney) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 3 September 1963 Rec: 1 August 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, Manchester Producer: Ian Grant The penultimate track on Please Please Me, in the USA it was on the B-side of ‘Twist And Shout’. In his 1980 interview with David Sheff, John described ‘There’s A Place’ as ‘my attempt at a sort of Motown black thing’. The mature lyric explored a theme revisited in one of John’s last songs ‘Watching The Wheels’. Bumper Bundle Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery Lee Peters borrowed this name applied to multiple requests for the same song from Two-Way Family Favourites. The extremely popular BBC radio show, broadcast each Sunday lunchtime, linked families to their loved ones serving with British forces overseas. George also dedicated the next song to his sister-in-law Irene. P. S. I Love You (Lennon-McCartney) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 25 June 1963 Rec: 17 June 1963 Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London Producer: Terry Henebery ‘P.S. I Love You’ was the B-side of The Beatles’ first Parlophone single ‘Love Me Do’ released in October 1962. Please Mister Postman (Dobbins-Garrett-Holland-Bateman-Gorman) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 30 July 1963 Rec: 10 July 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Terry Henebery In December 1961, The Marvelettes’ record on the Tamla label was the first American pop number one for Berry Gordy’s Motown company. American hits issued on Tamla and Motown struggled to be heard on the BBC in the early sixties. When The Beatles became successful, they were tireless champions of the labels’ artists, particularly Marvin Gaye, The Miracles and Mary Wells. Beautiful Dreamer (Foster-New words and music: Keller-Goffin) Saturday Club Trans: 26 January 1963 Rec: 22 January 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Jimmy Grant The song was written in the mid-nineteenth century by American writer Stephen Foster. Recordings by crooners Bing Crosby and Al Jolson ensured ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ remained a popular standard in the next century. In the late fifties, there was a trend for reviving ‘oldies’ by adding a faster rhythm. Tony Orlando’s ‘Beautiful Dreamer’, updated by songwriters Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller, was released in the UK at the end of 1962. A few weeks later The Beatles’ cover of his single, including all the changes to the original lyric and its added ‘hully-gully’ beat, was recorded for Saturday Club. Devil In Her Heart (Drapkin) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 24 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant This is the second BBC performance of ‘Devil In Her Heart’. The first version, recorded on 20 August 1963, was released on the Baby It's You EP in 1995. ‘Devil In His Heart’ was the B-side of ‘Bad Boy’ - the only record made by four Detroit school girls called The Donays. Their American single on Brent was picked up by the British label Oriole for release in September 1962. The 49 Weeks (Drapkin) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 24 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant In fact, Pop Go The Beatles ran for fifteen weeks. Rodney Burke was the presenter for eleven of the programmes. Sure To Fall (In Love With You) (Perkins-Claunch-Cantrell) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 24 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant The song was included on Dance Album Of Carl Perkins recorded in 1956. The Beatles covered four songs from that LP at the BBC. The sleeve note for the album released in the UK in November 1959 described its contents: ‘For the most part, they’re happy songs - light, toe-tapping rhythm numbers that just naturally make you feel a little gayer’. Never Mind, Eh? Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 24 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant The Beatles dedicate their last number of the Pop Go The Beatles series to each other. Twist And Shout (Medley-Russell) Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 6 August 1963 Rec: 16 July 1963 BBC Paris Theatre, London Producer: Terry Henebery ‘Twist And Shout’ made its initial impact through a single by The Isley Brothers. The Beatles’ characteristic falsetto whoops had been sparked by Little Richard, but the vocal gymnastics on the Isleys’ ‘Twist And Shout’ and their earlier American hit ‘Shout’ also influenced the group’s sound in 1963. The Beatles used ‘Twist And Shout’ as the rousing closer of their debut album and many live shows. They performed it nine times in BBC radio studios. This version was recorded on a day when, in less than seven hours, they recorded eighteen songs for three Pop Go The Beatles programmes. Bye, Bye Pop Go The Beatles Trans: 24 September 1963 Rec: 3 September 1963 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producer: Ian Grant A sung farewell to what is now regarded as an historically significant radio series. John - Pop Profile (Bonus interview track) Pop Profile BBC Transcription Service Rec: 30 November 1965 NEMS office, London Producer: Pete Dauncey George - Pop Profile (Bonus interview track) Pop Profile BBC Transcription Service Rec: 30 November 1965 NEMS office, London Producer: Pete Dauncey Three days before the release of The Beatles’ album Rubber Soul, Brian Matthew recorded separate interviews with John and George for the series Pop Profile. The programmes were pressed on seven-inch discs running at LP speed and distributed to radio stations around the world by the BBC Transcription Service. Tracklisting CD2 I Saw Her Standing There (Lennon-McCartney) Saturday Club Trans: 5 October 1963 Rec: 7 September 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The group performed this song eleven times in BBC studios. The recording in front of an audience for Easy Beat was included on the first collection of Live At The BBC. This version was taped for the fifth anniversary of Saturday Club. Glad All Over (Bennett-Tepper-Schroeder) Saturday Club Trans: 24 August 1963 Rec: 30 July 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The third British single by Carl Perkins was released in December 1958. Not a hit on either side of the Atlantic, ‘Glad All Over’ entered The Beatles’ live repertoire in 1960. Their first BBC version was included on the first collection of radio songs in 1994. This is the other recording made two weeks later. The Beatles all loved the music of Carl Perkins and each of them sang one of his songs at the BBC. In 1985, George and Ringo joined Carl Perkins on stage for the televised tribute concert Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session. Lift Lid Again Saturday Club Trans: 24 August 1963 Rec: 30 July 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews With the hope of making their request stand out from the hundreds of postcards and letters sent to the BBC, inventive listeners went to great lengths. Paul is heard investigating an elaborately designed item, which prompted another mention of the mysterious Harry and ‘his box’. I’ll Get You (Lennon-McCartney) Saturday Club Trans: 5 October 1963 Rec: 7 September 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews Released on the other side of the ‘She Loves You’ single, ‘I’ll Get You’ is a Beatles B-side gem. Anthology 1 presents a live TV performance of the song from Sunday Night At The London Palladium broadcast 13 October 1963. The British press described the screaming enthusiasm of fans outside the theatre that night as ‘Beatlemania’. She Loves You (Lennon-McCartney) Saturday Club Trans: 5 October 1963 Rec: 7 September 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The Beatles’ biggest selling single in Britain spent twelve weeks in the Top Three, including two stints at number one. In the States, Capitol declined to release it in 1963 so the Philadelphia-based independent Swan Records distributed the record. After four weeks at number two, behind ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘She Loves You’ became The Beatles’ second American number one in March 1964. Memphis, Tennessee (Berry) Saturday Club Trans: 5 October 1963 Rec: 7 September 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews First released on the flip-side of Chuck Berry’s ‘Back In The USA’ in the summer of 1959, ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ reached number six in the British charts four years later. Paul remembers learning ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ in John's bedroom when the two lads decided it had ‘the greatest riff ever!’. Happy Birthday Dear Saturday Club (Hill-Hill) Saturday Club Trans: 5 October 1963 Rec: 7 September 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews To celebrate the fifth birthday of the BBC Light Programme’s most successful music show, The Beatles rocked up ‘Happy Birthday’. Now Hush, Hush Easy Beat Trans: 20 October 1963 Rec: 16 October 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Ron Belchier The announcement that The Beatles’ had been included in the Royal Variety Performance, playing for The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, gave their success a regal seal of approval. The British media were fascinated by this news. From Me To You (Lennon-McCartney) Easy Beat Trans: 20 October 1963 Rec: 16 October 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Ron Belchier Performed in sixteen radio shows, ‘From Me To You’ is The Beatles’ most frequently performed song at the BBC. Number one in the UK throughout May and June 1963, the song was the first by Lennon-McCartney to crack the US charts when Del Shannon’s cover reached number 77 in the Hot 100. Money (That’s What I Want) (Bradford-Gordy) The Beatles Say From Us To You Trans: 26 December 1963 Rec: 18 December 1963 BBC Paris Theatre, London Producer: Bryant Marriott Motown founder Berry Gordy gained his first national hit as a label owner with this song. He had co-written it with the company’s receptionist Janie Bradford. Recorded by Barrett Strong, ‘Money’ was an American R&B number two and reached 23 in the US pop chart. The disc made little headway in the UK, but the song was popularized by The Beatles when included as the closing track of their second LP. I Want To Hold Your Hand (Lennon-McCartney) The Beatles Say From Us To You Trans: 26 December 1963 Rec: 18 December 1963 BBC Paris Theatre, London Producer: Bryant Marriott With advance orders from shops of a million, The Beatles’ fifth single quickly replaced their previous disc - ‘She Loves You’ - at the top of the UK charts. Two months later, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ became only the fourth record by a British act to reach number one in the US charts. The single’s success launched The Beatles’ musical domination of the world. Brian Bathtubes Saturday Club Trans: 21 December 1963 Rec: 17 December 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews This verbal combat was typical of the way the group and Brian Matthew conducted their interviews. The DJ remembered that, ‘They were quite sparky and always very different from any of the other artists and groups who appeared on the show. I think their main object in life seemed to be how to put me down in as good natured a way as possible. But it was great fun always to talk to The Beatles.’ This Boy (Lennon-McCartney) Saturday Club Trans: 21 December 1963 Rec: 17 December 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews Released in the UK on the flip-side of ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘This Boy’ is distinguished by a three-part harmony, sung at one microphone, by John, Paul and George. This distinctive blend of their voices can also be heard on the BBC recording of ‘To Know Her Is To Love Her’, included on the first volume of Live At The BBC, and a later B-side ballad ‘Yes It Is’. If I Wasn’t In America Saturday Club Trans: 15 February 1964 Rec: 7 January 1964 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The group knew that when their Saturday Club session was broadcast, they would be in Miami Beach, Florida to rehearse for a second live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show the next day. Ringo used the idiomatic expression ‘act the goat’, meaning to behave in a silly way to get a laugh. I Got A Woman (Charles-Richard) Saturday Club Trans: 4 April 1964 Rec: 31 March 1964 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The Beatles heard this Ray Charles song on Elvis Presley’s first British album called Rock ’N’ Roll released in October 1956. Elvis was described in the sleeve note as ‘the jazz phenomenon to end all phenomena’. The group’s first version, recorded for Pop Go The Beatles in August 1963, was on the first volume of Live At The BBC. For this later version, John duets with himself by overdubbing a second lead vocal. Long Tall Sally (Johnson-Penniman-Blackwell) Top Gear Trans: 16 July 1964 Rec: 14 July 1964 Studio S2, Broadcasting House, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The group had performed the song ever since 1957 when it had erupted in the UK on a record by Little Richard. The UK single coupled his first two American hits from a year before: ‘Long Tall Sally’ and the equally thunderous ‘Tutti Frutti’. The first collection of Live At The BBC featured a recording made at the BBC in August 1963 for Pop Go The Beatles. If I Fell (Lennon-McCartney) Top Gear Trans: 16 July 1964 Rec: 14 July 1964 Studio S2, Broadcasting House, London Producer: Bernie Andrews A high point of A Hard Day’s Night, ‘If I Fell’ was coupled with Paul’s ballad ‘And I Love Her’ on an American single and also featured on the British EP Extracts From The Film A Hard Day's Night. A Hard Job Writing Them Top Gear Trans: 16 July 1964 Rec: 14 July 1964 Studio S2, Broadcasting House, London Producer: Bernie Andrews Producer Bernie Andrews remembered, ‘I wanted to get the pre-recorded sessions at a higher standard ...somewhere near matching the record quality. When I started Top Gear, I tried very hard to do that. I was very pleased when The Beatles went along with me and helped launch this programme’. And I Love Her (Lennon-McCartney) Top Gear Trans: 16 July 1964 Rec: 14 July 1964 Studio S2, Broadcasting House, London Producer: Bernie Andrews For this BBC performance, George played his solo on electric guitar rather than the nylon-strung acoustic used for the record. ‘And I Love Her’ was soon the subject of a variety of cover versions that dispensed with a simple beat group arrangement. Beatles favourites Smokey Robinson & The Miracles made a sensitive recording for their 1970 LP What Love Has ...Joined Together. Oh, Can’t We? Yes We Can From Us To You Say The Beatles Trans: 30 March 1964 Rec: 28 February 1964 Number One Studio, BBC Piccadilly Theatre, London Producer: Bryant Marriott The Australian DJ Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman had planned a short visit to the UK in 1957. Having quickly become one of the country’s best-loved DJs, he stayed forever. From 1962, he had been presenting the BBC’s Sunday chart show Pick Of The Pops. In this era, it was the most exciting record show on the air in the UK. In His Own Write, John’s book of poetry, prose and drawings was published the week before this ‘bank holiday’ programme was broadcast. You Can’t Do That (Lennon-McCartney) Top Gear Trans: 16 July 1964 Rec: 14 July 1964 Studio S2, Broadcasting House, London Producer: Bernie Andrews Released first as the flip-side of ‘Can't Buy Me Love’, ‘You Can't Do That’ is a swaggering R&B workout that became a highlight of the non-film-songs side of A Hard Day’s Night. Honey Don’t (Perkins) Top Gear Trans: 26 November 1964 Rec: 17 November 1964 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The B-side of Carl Perkins’ Top Ten UK hit ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Honey Don’t’ was a Beatles stage favourite for several years before it appeared on their fourth album. John sings on an earlier BBC recording that was released on the first Live At The BBC album. At the final session for Beatles For Sale in October 1964, he generously gave ‘Honey Don’t’ to Ringo for his featured vocal on the LP. From then on, it was exclusively Ringo’s number. I’ll Follow The Sun (Lennon-McCartney) Top Gear Trans: 26 November 1964 Rec: 17 November 1964 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews This early song of Paul's was at least four years old by the time it was revisited for Beatles For Sale. It was featured, along with three others from that album, during their second appearance on the late-night show Top Gear presented by Brian Matthew. This BBC recording was first issued in 1995 on the hit EP Baby It’s You. Green With Black Shutters Top Of The Pops BBC Transcription Service Rec: May/June 1965 Producer: Pete Dauncey In addition to broadcasting to the UK, Brian Matthew introduced a programme produced by the BBC for distribution to international radio stations. This interview was recorded exclusively for that weekly show called Top Of The Pops. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Leiber-Stoller/Penniman) Saturday Club Trans: 26 December 1964 Rec: 25 November 1964 Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London Producers: Jimmy Grant and Brian Willey ‘Kansas City’ was an American number one for Wilbert Harrison in May 1959. Little Richard’s medley of ‘Kansas City’ with his previously released ‘Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back To Birmingham)’ was a Top Thirty UK hit during the summer of 1959. That single was the model for The Beatles’ interpretation. Their earliest recording was included on the first album of BBC performances; this is the third and final BBC version. That’s What We’re Here For Top Gear Trans: 26 November 1964 Rec: 17 November 1964 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The group’s second appearance on Top Gear was broadcast the night before ‘I Feel Fine’/‘She’s A Woman’ was released in the UK. Their new single topped the UK and US charts during Christmas 1964, bringing their tally of American number ones in that year to six. I Feel Fine (studio out-take) (Lennon-McCartney) Rec: 17 November 1964 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The Beatles began using a four-track machine at EMI in October 1963, but multi-tracking did not start at the BBC until the seventies. There was a method to ‘overdub’ by copying a first recording to another tape, while at the same time adding more instruments or vocals. This take of ‘I Feel Fine’ is the one onto which John overdubbed another lead vocal. The completed version is included on the first volume of Live At The BBC. Paul - Pop Profile (Bonus interview track) Pop Profile BBC Transcription Service Rec: 2 May 1966 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Pete Dauncey Ringo - Pop Profile (Bonus interview track) Pop Profile BBC Transcription Service Rec: 2 May 1966 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Pete Dauncey Having recorded highly personal interviews with John and George for Pop Profile, Brian Matthew talked to Paul and Ringo for the series five months later. The interviews took place on a day-off from sessions started in April 1966 to produce a new album - Revolver.

Just joined the site, principally to see and hear the build up and reaction to Mark Lewisohn's book (currently on Amazon at a considerably reduced price) and Live at the BBC Volume 2. As my favourite post-'Let It Be' release under the group's name was Volume 1, I'll be one of the first in the queue for Volume 2.

nimrod

Just joined the site, principally to see and hear the build up and reaction to Mark Lewisohn's book (currently on Amazon at a considerably reduced price) and Live at the BBC Volume 2. As my favourite post-'Let It Be' release under the group's name was Volume 1, I'll be one of the first in the queue for Volume 2.

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tbh Im not excited about the Lewisham books, but cant wait for the BBC CD, I liked the Recording sessions book as that was informative about the music but I dont need to know where they were or what time George took a crap on 3rd June 1965

I'm probably more excited about Volume One of Lewisohn's book than the other two. I was fascinated by the chapter intros in his "The Complete Beatles Chronicle: The Definitive Day-by-Day Guide to the Beatles' Entire Career" for the years through 1962. Information like when they couldn't stay in Manchester to see if they won a battle of the bands because they couldn't afford a hotel room and had to catch a train back to Liverpool is great stuff and transports me to a whole new world in late 50s/early 60s Britain regarding the Beatles.

tbh Im not excited about the Lewisham books, but cant wait for the BBC CD, I liked the Recording sessions book as that was informative about the music but I dont need to know where they were or what time George took a crap on 3rd June 1965

That won't come until the next volume Kev. Seriously though, I went on Amazon today to preorder the Lewisohn book and of course they thought it would be a good idea for me to preorder the BBC book too. I started thinking about how much I love anything to do with the Beatles and the BBC. I debated my entire lunch hour about which one to order, should I order both, what if my dishwasher finally dies before Amazon charges my debit card and on and on. I ended up ordering nothing! I'm not usually this indecisive.

It's the first volume that I'm most looking forward to and, if it's as good as I'm hoping it'll be, it will be as much a history of Britain from war-time through the 50s as it will be about The Beatles themselves.

1957-1962 is, for me, the most interesting period of the group and when the huge manuscript arrives in November, Lonnie, Gene, Carl, Chuck, Elvis, Larry, Ricky and Buddy go on the CD player 24/7, and it's head down for a week (or will it need a fortnight?).

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nimrod

That won't come until the next volume Kev. Seriously though, I went on Amazon today to preorder the Lewisohn book and of course they thought it would be a good idea for me to preorder the BBC book too. I started thinking about how much I love anything to do with the Beatles and the BBC. I debated my entire lunch hour about which one to order, should I order both, what if my dishwasher finally dies before Amazon charges my debit card and on and on. I ended up ordering nothing! I'm not usually this indecisive.

It's the first volume that I'm most looking forward to and, if it's as good as I'm hoping it'll be, it will be as much a history of Britain from war-time through the 50s as it will be about The Beatles themselves.

I only ever had Vol. 1 on vinyl and (strangely) cassette so, as both volumes are £15, I might just get the two on the same day. Of course, HMV and/or someone on the internet will probably be selling off the old versions for much less.Can the 1994 version really be that much improved?

I believe it will be minor improvements. Until I'm proven wrong, I'm not going to pick it up. For me the song itself and the energy The Beatles put into it are the main things, not a slight improvement of the quality of the recording.

I recognise that the record industry is a very different place to what it was in 1994, but has there been mention anywhere of a 'trailer' single for the BBC CD, in the way 'Baby It's You' was for the first volume?

"Breakfast with the Beatles" had a nice preview of Live at the BBC 2 this week. It's fun to hear this stuff cleaned up and spiffy. I can't wait to hear the whole thing! It starts at 13:46. http://www.beatlesradioshow.com/listen.htm